Is this the real reason Manchester United named a stand after Sir Bobby Charlton?

Ahead of Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Sunderland in November 2011, Sir Alex Ferguson was invited on to the pitch by David Gill.

The occasion marked the 25th anniversary of the Scot’s time as manager of the club and there was the expectation he would say a few words over the microphone then get on with the game.

However, the club had something much more special in mind, and the shock around the stadium was incredible when Gill revealed the plan. The North Stand was set to be renamed the Sir Alex Ferguson stand, and was unveiled there and then, with the manager in a state of total disbelief.

It was a special occasion, with Fergson’s former captain, Steve Bruce, the manager of the opposition. Former United academy players, Wes Brown, Kieran Richardson and Phil Bardsley also lined up for Sunderland that day, with Darren Fletcher, Danny Welbeck and Jonny Evans in United’s side.

The lettering for “Old Trafford, Manchester” was taken off the North Stand and moved to the South Stand instead.

It was been confirmed this week that there is set to be a new name change at Old Trafford, with Sir Bobby Charlton getting a stand named after himself.

He is a Busby Babe, he played in the 1968 European Cup final and scored twice, seeing United become the first English club to win the competition 10 years after he was on the plane that crashed in Munich and eight of his teammates died.

There’s no doubting that Charlton is a footballing legend, a Manchester United legend, but why have the club chosen this moment to recognise his status? This year marks the 50th anniversary of Charlton making his debut, but the actual date isn’t for months yet. Sir Bobby scored twice on his debut against Charlton Athletic on October 6th 1956. So why now?

Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is expected to take over at Manchester United (Picture: Getty Images)

One suggestion could be that United want to commemorate Sir Bobby while he is still the club’s all-time highest goalscorer. Wayne Rooney is just five goals short of matching Charlton’s achievement, so there could be some merit to claims United are giving him the stand before his record is taken away from him.

A more likely suggestion is that United are set to appoint Jose Mourinho and want to ensure that Charlton, who has repeatedly spoken out against the hiring of the Portuguese manager, still feels respected. Having been a member of Manchester United’s board of directors for over 30 years,

After Mourinho tried to gouge out Tito Vilanova’s eye, Charlton had all the evidence he needed for why he wasn’t suitable for United.

‘A United manager wouldn’t do that,’ Charlton said. ‘Mourinho is a really good coach but that’s as far as I would go really. He pontificates too much for my liking.’

When Charlton was reminded that Ferguson was an apparent fan of Mourinho, Charlton replied: ‘he doesn’t like him too much, though.’

Reports suggest that Mourinho will be taking Louis van Gaal’s job sooner rather than later, with the summer the latest date of the change over, so giving Charlton his stand should keep him sweet.